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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25352122">The Masters Guard</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PredatorKing/pseuds/PredatorKing'>PredatorKing</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pokemon - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blame my brain while i was binging pokemon., F/M, If ya don't like violent pokemon then this might not be for you, Now enjoy!!, OC, don't blame me, guns and swords, ok</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:27:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,890</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25352122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PredatorKing/pseuds/PredatorKing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when a man with a dark and unknown past joins our friends on their adventures? well...that's what this is about.</p><p>(Warning, this story is not normal Pokémon…..this is more like the manga, which means very…. Uncensored things, like gore...and suggestive themes, plus lots of swearing, you’ve been warned.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is gonna be a long project, I am hoping to follow the anime as close as possible, but while also doing my own thing....I'll try to follow two episodes a chapter, but that is only a rough estimate....so lets get to it!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Uurrgh!!" He grunted in pain, holding his ribs. All he felt was agony. A large trail of blood followed him as his wobbly legs forced him to keep moving. </p><p>"Fuuh!!" He yelled before tripping over a stone and falling to the ground, making his already painful wounds burn even further into the agony. He screamed from the impact, hoping something or someone would find him from the loud noise, sides he wanted to scream anyways...it hurt, yet he smirked as the pain burned his flesh like he almost enjoyed it. The young man slowly crawled across the ground, attempting to make his way up the road. He suddenly heard the sound of a bicycle, then a loud yell.</p><p>"Oh my god!! Are you okay!!?" An unknown woman screamed. He quickly felt hands on his shoulders before being flipped to lay on his back. He hissed from the stinging sensation.</p><p>"I..I'm...alive." He breathed. He could barely see her face, just brown eyes and hair.</p><p>"We need to get you to the ER!!!" She yelled. "I need to call someone!!"</p><p>"Hurrry...lll...losing blood..." He sighed. The next few minutes were a blur. The man heard the faint sound of a siren...but he couldn't be certain. He felt the sting as he was being placed on something and squinted from the bright lights inside what he perceived as the interior of a vehicle, then he blacked out.</p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>He jolted awake and sat up, yelling in pain from the sudden movement before laying back down laying back down again. He looked around. He was in a room, he assumed from the simple and very hygienic interior….that he was most likely in a hospital. All he did was look around the room for what to him seemed like minutes, but was actually more like hours.</p><p>His eyes narrowed from the sound of the door opening. The man's guard was raised, his caution never leaving him as the visitor walked in. The woman that came from the entrance had blue hair and almost crimson eyes. She was obviously a police officer from her uniform and the hat. The woman sat down next to him on a stool.</p><p>"You seem to be in terrible shape young man." She pointed out, her eyes full of concern. He simply chuckled.</p><p>"oh...did you just notice? Or did the pounds of bandages not make it clear?" He smirked. This was only time he will show humor, as it helped when the pain hit. The officer covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle a small giggle.</p><p>"Well, either way, what happened to you? You had multiple gunshot wounds and a staggering amount of cuts and bruises..." She explained, her expression returned to being concerned. "What did you do to get into such trouble?"</p><p>"Well…i...*cough* *cough*....got mugged" He hissed from a sudden jolt of pain. He was lying, but she didn't need to know that.</p><p>"What's your name, sir?" She asked.</p><p>"Its….Jack" The man replied.</p><p>"And your last name?" The officer asked.</p><p>"Uhh…don't have one" he answered. His tone back to being serious. "What's your name?"</p><p>"Officer Jenny!" She smiled.</p><p>"Now...is that all?" Jack asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.</p><p>"Why did they mug you? Did they take anything of yours? Any items of value?" Jenny asked. His eyes darkened before he sighed.</p><p>"They took all my possessions, and decided to try and take care of the only witness" he said before letting out a sharp exhale from the pain.</p><p>"Well... thanks for clearing that up" She said, standing up. "You'll be in here for a few more days, your healing up exceptionally fast."</p><p>Jack nodded before Jenny walked through the door into the next room. He watched her exit, he sighed. It was gonna be a long day. He always hated hospitals, well..at least here they probably gave pain meds.</p><p>He sat there looking up at the ceiling for multiple hours, thinking about...anything...something to take his mind off the horrible situation he now found himself in. He wondered what he would do once he was out. Get revenge? No...that never worked, not with them. He heard the door open once more.</p><p>"How are you doing?" A pink nurse asked, concern laid in her voice. The man was still extremely cautious of the woman, her concern only making him more confused.</p><p>"I'm alive.…what's the damage?" He asked..</p><p>"Well, we removed about ten bullets lodged in your muscle fibers, and about three more that were embedded in your ribs" She explained, obviously uncomfortable with telling him this information. Jack simply nodded, it wasn't anything serious...he could still exert himself without too many repercussions.</p><p>"It's a miracle you're still alive. I'm here to give you a rundown on where you should go once we can't take care of you anymore" The nurse added. Jack nodded his head. "After you leave, we'll have the Ketchum's take you in. Mrs. Ketchum was very insistent that you stay with her, she was the one who found you on the road after all"</p><p>"....are they good people?" He asked.</p><p>"They are some of the nicest people in town!!" The nurse smiled.</p><p>"Alright.." Jack replied.</p><p>She nodded before taking out a small syringe. He grunted as he felt the needle go into his flesh.</p><p>"This should keep the pain down for a little while..." The nurse explained before taking out the needle.</p><p>"What's your name?" He asked.</p><p>"It's Nurse Joy" She smiled.</p><p>"Joy...." Jack mumbled, watching as Nurse Joy walked out of the room. He sighed for the second time as she closed the door, he wasn't going to enjoy the rest of his time here. At least it was better than those small military hospitals...much cleaner.</p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>The days that passed were filled with nothing but frustration for the young man, he couldn't train, work out...or even stretch. He had to keep getting muscle therapy from the nurse because he had so much lead poured into his body. Wasn't this sort of thing normal to them? The food he ate wasn't bad, much better than the rations he used to eat. The worst part was not moving, he liked to move. He was stuck in the bed the entire time he was there, so to say he was thrilled when they said he'd be leaving was an understatement.</p><p>Jack made his way down the hall towards reception, limping as he did so. He refused the crutches Nurse Joy offered him, he didn't need them. She walked right beside him with a worried look on her face, in case he grew dizzy and collapsed. The Nurse had never seen someone refuse crutches before...especially when the person in question had deep gashes that were still healing on their legs.</p><p>"Are you feeling well?" She asked. Jack nodded.</p><p>"...just tired" He replied. The man was lying, he was far from alright. His legs felt like someone was stabbing them. His arms felt weak and his torso felt like someone was pouring melted lead on them, but his pride would never let him tell anyone that.</p><p>"Oh! You're alright!!" The same woman who saved Jack yelled from reception. He remembered that her name was Delia Ketchum. She had deep brown eyes and brown hair in a ponytail. "Oh I was terrified that you weren't gonna make it!"</p><p>"I'll live...I always do, for better or worse" He replied. Jack's legs suddenly got wobbly, he grabbed the counter for balance. "I'm fine."</p><p>"You, young man, are not Fine!! You look terrible..." Mrs. Ketchum said in an almost scolding tone. His eyes narrowed at her voice.</p><p>"You need to rest more!! And you need to get good food in your belly!!" she continued.</p><p>"Alright." Jack sighed, there was no negotiating with her from the look of it. He gave in and pushed off the counter and limped towards the door, Mrs. Ketchum walked alongside him. He opened the door and walked outside. His eyes were immediately blinded by the light of the bright sun beaming down on him.</p><p>"Welcome to pallet town!" She said, gesturing towards the town. It was the average country town. Dirt roads and small houses, he wasn't complaining, the farther he was from large populations the better. He had a target on his head now after all. The man saw a few groups of houses here and there, it was a peaceful place. Pokémon were walking everywhere alongside people in harmony, he was surprised.</p><p>"It's.....nice." Jack said. Mrs. Ketchum nodded.</p><p>"Yep, our little town! Now, come with me so I can show you where you're staying." she explained. He nodded before they began to walk, well one walk the other limp, to the house.</p><p>The Ketchum house was very simple in design, like most things around here. It was a simple two floored house with white walls and a red roof. It had a small yard guarded by a short fence that went around the entire house.</p><p>"This is...a nice...home." He remarked as he quickly looked it over. It was almost spotless on the outside, barely any wear on the paint, it looked new.</p><p>"Thank you, I try," Mrs. Ketchum smiled. The pair walked in and the interior was pleasing to the eye as well. It was very average, unlike most houses Jack had been in.</p><p>"Who's that?" A kid asked from the kitchen. He had spiky hair and piercing brown eyes. The boy wore jeans and a black shirt. He walked over, looking at his mother with a questioning stare.</p><p>"Ash, this is Jack, the young man i was talking about" She explained.</p><p>'So the kids name is Ash, interesting name' Jack thought to himself. The kid didn't even look like a teen yet.</p><p>"Oh, well nice to meet you!! Names Ash" Ash greeted, extending his hand.</p><p>"I'm Jack" he took his hand and shook it.</p><p>"Pleasure to meet you Jack!" The boy replied before heading back to the table and eating his lunch.</p><p>Jack looked towards Mrs. Ketchum.</p><p>"So, where will I be staying?" He asked.</p><p>"Oh!! Let me show you your room" she gestured for him to follow. The pair began to walk upstairs. The man gasped from moving his legs so high and almost collapsed. "Are you alright!?"</p><p>He waved Mrs. Ketchum off before pulling himself up, using the railing to get himself to his feet. After a few moments, he finally made his way to the top floor.</p><p>"You okay?" Delia asked one more time to make sure. He nodded. "Your room is right here"</p><p>She gestured to a door to her left. Opening it up to reveal the place he'll be staying. The room interior was very bland and simple, with a bed, closet and even a full length mirror to the right of it. He liked it, it felt welcoming.</p><p>He could see a few extra clothes on the sheets and looked down, realizing his clothes were absolutely ripped and shredded, even after being cleaned.</p><p>"Im going to change." Jack remarked. "Thank you....I'm eternally grateful"</p><p>Delia nodded.</p><p>"We will talk about how you can repay me later" She smiled before closing the door, leaving him alone.</p><p>Jack sighed, quickly taking off his torn shirt before dropping it beside his bed. He walked over to the mirror, getting a view of the damage. He looked and saw brown eyes staring back at him. He had brown hair and lighter tanned skin, which covered quite a bit of muscle. He grunted in slight disgust at the multitude of scars that covered his body, all from cuts to stitch marks, from his shoulders to his waist. The man didn't even want to remember the scars on his back. Jack looked at how tall he was in confusion. He couldn't quite remember his height, but from what he could recall, he was at least 5'9….but maybe he was taller now, he had forgotten.</p><p>He looked down at his ripped sweatpants, realizing that he might be exposed down there he quickly undressed and got his new clothes on. They consisted of jeans and a black shirt that was a bit tight on him, but he didn't mind, it wasn't the worst thing he had to wear. He was frustrated the most by the fact that he didn't even bother to grab a single weapon from the 'burglars' he was fighting, he had brought weapons. How did he lose them again?</p><p>"....never mind" Jack shakes his head, he remembered now. He did try to take them with him, but he was so weak he dropped them halfway.</p><p>He was done changing, he needed to train, just to keep busy till dinner. He was about to throw the first punch when his door shot open. It was Ash, looking at Jack with confusion plastered on his face.</p><p>"Uh….." was the only sound coming out of the boy's mouth. He blinked several times in confusion.</p><p>"Hello." Jack asked. Normally he would yell at someone if they just barged into his room but...this wasn't his house so maybe this was normal?</p><p>"Uh...hi. How are you feeling?" Ash asked.</p><p>"Fine. Why did you force you way in? " He asked.</p><p>"Oh!! Well uh, guess I acted before I thought, haha" He laughed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I came in here to see if you were better"</p><p>"I'm fine." Jack responded, trying to hold back the pain he held throughout his entire being as he did so. He wasn't Fine, but the kid didn't need to know that.</p><p>"Okay….hey, quick question" Ash asked.</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"Why were you shot?" He asked. Jack's eyes widened, but he quickly blinked out of his stupor, he'd just use the same lie he did before.</p><p>"I was mugged, they didn't want to leave any evidence besides a bit of blood, so I defended myself but, well...you can guess the rest" he explained. Ash nodded.</p><p>"Well, leave ya to it" The kid smiled before walking out the door. Ash seemed like a good kid, although very....Naïve…but that was to be expected.</p><p>Jack quietly sighed once more. He hated lying. If they found out who he was, they would leave him for dead.He was being hunted, he needed to blend in.</p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>The Man was only slightly spent after he began training. He started the moment Ash left his room. He practiced fighting stances and hand to hand combat. The hours went by as he elevated to doing his regular workout. 2000 push ups, 1000 plus sit-ups and too many kicks for him to care to count.</p><p>"Ash!! Jack!! Dinners ready!!" Delia yelled from the kitchen. The two walked downstairs and sat down at the dinner table. Jack quickly dug in, feeling like he hadn't eaten in years. The Ketchum's were surprised at the speed he was eating. The man was having a flavor overload, so many meats and vegetables. To say he was overwhelmed by taste was an understatement, but in a good way. This would definitely help him with his metabolism, get it working in top gear for once...improving his strength even more.</p><p>"I thought you would be hungry!!" Delia smiled as Jack continued to ravage his plate, leaving almost nothing left. He burped, quickly excusing himself afterwards. The man sat in silence for a few minutes after finishing, a query from remembering a previous conversation entered his mind.</p><p>".....how can I repay you for your generosity?" He asked. Mrs. Ketchum gestured to her son.</p><p>"Ash is starting his Pokémon adventure in a week..." She explained. Jack looked towards Ash with curious eyes. A Pokémon trainer?</p><p>The Man shook himself out of his intense stare before nodding.</p><p>"So...i want to make sure he's safe. Will you go with him?" Delia asked. His eyes widened even further. A Pokémon adventure... He would be almost always on the move, therefore hard to track.</p><p>"Why me?" Jack asked. He was genuinely curious. Why would a mother send a complete stranger who was found near death on the road with her son?</p><p>"Because….. because you seem like you know what you're doing." Jack raised an eyebrow at her words. Did she figure it out? It didn't matter to him, she wouldn't tell anyone. At least he hoped so. "So...will you? Please? I'd be in your debt if you did."</p><p>He nodded. "I'll go with him, and don't worry about it. You saved my life, that's enough payment for me."</p><p>"Oh thank you!!" Delia smiled.</p><p>"Don't mention it," Jack remarked. He slowly got up, walking towards the stairs. "I'm gonna train more. Can i use your yard tomorrow? That room doesn't provide all the space i need."</p><p>Her eyes widened. "Uh, sure...just don't ruin my flowers.."</p><p>"Okay..." He dipped his head before walking upstairs. The pair looked in awe as he walked up the stairs like he hadn't even been hurt, his limp completely gone.</p><p>"Uh, he was hurt a second ago, right?" Ash asked. Delia nodded. They said he would recover quickly...but it's only been a few hours since he left the hospital! She didn't think what the nurse said was actually true.</p><p>
  <em>"He's recovering extremely fast...much faster than any person we have seen before.."</em>
</p><p>"What a strange boy" Mrs. Ketchum mumbled.</p><p>"So… he's coming with me?" Her son asked. She nodded once again. "At least he seems cool!!"</p><p>Delia giggled. "He certainly is...unique."</p><p>She and her son discussed their new guest late into the night. They hadn't had someone new over for as long as they could remember. He was...different. He didn't act like a kid....This surprised her, what made him that way? The man must've had to mature fast for some reason...although she may never know.</p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>The man woke up to the sounds of a bird Pokémon screeching on the rooftop. The vocals were...unpleasant to say the least. He raised his body off the ground, looked around and realized he wasn't on the bed, he was on the floor.</p><p>
  <em>"What did i do before I passed out?"</em>
</p><p>He remembered, he was still training when he clocked out. He didn't get to finish….unfortunate. Jack shook off his disappointment before getting up, cracking his aching back from sleeping on the blue carpeted floor. He sighed, that was better. The Man had a lot of work to do, training and improving himself even more than before. He opened the door, knowing everyone else was still asleep from Ash's obnoxious snoring, and because he heard nobody moving around the house. His feet barely made any sound as he crept down the stairs.</p><p>
  <em>"Go outside and train. Afterwards i will eat." </em>
</p><p>Jack snuck across the house to the front door. Sneaking came naturally to him, it had to... so he had little trouble not waking up the two other residents. He made his way to the bottom floor, and silently walked towards the door. His hand gripped the knob. Turning it, he pulled the door open very slowly...as to not alert the unconscious. The beams of sunlight caused him to be temporarily blinded, but it quickly subsided. He was met by the bright blue sky and blinding sun of mid morning. How long did he sleep?</p><p>
  <em>"Must have been the food."</em>
</p><p>He admitted it was amazing, the best food he'd ever eaten. The man had never experienced a food coma before, but he knew they existed. He could only assume that was what caused him to pass out. Another screech broke him from his thoughts, a three headed bird Pokémon was on the roof. He didn't know the name of it, nor did it matter to him.</p><p>Jack shook off his curiosity…he needed to train.The man flexed his muscles, getting an idea if he had lost any strength from sitting in that hospital for a few days. After a few moments of checking...he found slight amounts of muscle loss. He was glad that it wasn't much...since if he wanted to go on an adventure, he needed to be at his peak.</p><p>
  <em>"Now then…"</em>
</p><p>He smirked. This would be fun.</p><p>"Who are you?" A flat voice asked. Jack looked to see a kid on the other side of the fence. It was a boy, looking to be around the same age as Mrs. Ketchum's child. He had lighter brown hair and brown eyes. His clothes consisted of a black shirt with a red vest, light blue jeans and red shoes. The kids' outfit was finished with a red hat. "Your not from around here"</p><p>"You are correct, I am a friend of Mrs. Ketchum. I'm staying over for a bit" He replied. It wasn't technically a lie. This kid didn't seem to be buying it however, he looked towards him with an unconvinced expression.</p><p>"Red!! Why'd you walk off!!?" A small girl ran up to the boy, who was apparently called "Red". A strange name...but he's heard more bizarre ones. The girl had long brown hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a white hat and a blue shirt with a tiny red skirt.</p><p>"I told you Leaf, I was watching this guy" Red explained, his expression and voice unreadable. The girl, called "Leaf" looked towards Jack with a curious expression. Her face quickly turned into a bright smile.</p><p>"My name's Leaf!! This is Red!! What's your name?" Leaf asked enthusiastically. The Man was slightly stunned by her openness, but blinked out of his stupor and replied.</p><p>"My names Jack."</p><p>"So you're that hospital dude everyone's been talking about" Another kid remarked. This one had bright brown hair and eyes. His shirt was a bright blue, with his pants and shoes a deep black. "You've become quite popular these last few days"</p><p>"Is….that so?" Jack asked. He hoped that wasn't true...if word ever got to those who were hunting him, he might not be able to walk away next time. They'll prepare...like they always do.</p><p>"Yep, names Blue by the way" He smirked. This kid had an aura of self confidence, different from the others around here. The Man had met many egotistical people, it just took him by surprise that they would exist here too.</p><p>"You all have….interesting names" He commented.</p><p>"Really?" Leaf asked.</p><p>"They are...certainly unique," Jack replied.</p><p>"Where are you from?" Red blurted. His almost stoic face showed a tinge of curiosity with his query.</p><p>"Im…" In truth, he didn't really know. He never really had a home, the man was always on the move. "...a nomad, I move around. So...technically nowhere."</p><p>"Really? That sounds fun!! Seeing so many new places!!" Leaf beamed up at him.</p><p>"Yeah...it was...fun" He lied again. This just wasn't his time of honesty. It didn't matter, he just has to keep up the façade and once he's out of this town he won't even have to worry about it. "Anyway, i must get training"</p><p>"Training? Like Pokémon training?" Leaf asked. Jack shook his head.</p><p>"No, like workout training" He explained. The man walked to the center of the yard and began to practice fighting techniques as an example. Simple punches and kicks, nothing special. "Get it now?"</p><p>The three nodded, still stunned from seeing all those moves happening in mere moments. Some were too fast for their eyes to track, while the ones they could see looked like they could break bone with little issue, creating a small "whooshing" sound with each attack.</p><p>"Anyway, you should probably go...unless you wish to watch. I don't care either way" Jack added before throwing punches and kicks once more.</p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>The next six days consisted of Jack waking up, training till nightfall, eating dinner, training some more and finally going to bed. Having conversations with the residents and neighbors in the process. He had gotten to know Mrs. Ketchum and her son a bit, they were certainly intriguing. It was just the mother and son, no father in sight. This confused him, but it was explained that he was a Pokémon trainer...but this only cause him even more discord. Why leave your wife and child for an adventure that may or may not succeed? It seemed ridiculous to him. Although he was no one to judge, since he only knew how the family unit worked because he had eliminated them many times over.</p><p>Today was apparently the "big day" for Ash to go on his Pokémon journey. This whole thing intrigued him, as he had only heard of Pokémon trainers from his "friends". Going on an adventure around the world to catch animals to use for battling? That sounded...sort of entertaining. Although he assumed the true charm of it was lost on him. It was probably something you must experience to understand, either that or it's just a foolish childhood dream.</p><p>Either way, he was going on one. He felt….indifferent. The Man was used to Pokémon, but only on the end of his gun. He knew certain Pokémon's weaknesses and strengths, plus which spots to shoot if you wish to quicken your progress. However, having them as allies? Not so much. It would probably be tactically advantageous, but he never needed Pokémon before to fight and kill effectively, so...maybe they're not as strong as they're cracked up to be. Apparently today was the day that kids can begin with one of three starter Pokémon.</p><p>Charmander: A small orange, bipedal lizard that can breathe fire. With a small flame burning on the tip of its tail.</p><p>Squirtle: A bipedal blue, half lizard, half turtle that apparently shoots high pressure water from its mouth.</p><p>Bulbasaur: A quadrupedal green, small monster with a closed flower on its back that can extend long vines from its body to grab or hit foes with.</p><p>To be honest, Jack would choose the fire lizard if he was talking about practical use. Water or vines wouldn't be good for dealing with more than a few foes at once. Fire on the other hand can clear out an entire room or area with ease. He knew that all too well, from being on both the giving, and the receiving end of a flamethrower in a confined space. He was lucky he didn't get permanent burns from that unlucky event, the enemy on the other hand...wasn't so lucky thanks to the man's old friend, called an IED. He never thought a man without his lower half could still piss himself before that day.</p><p>"Jack," He was shaken out of his memories by Mrs. Ketchum. She sat down with him on the porch, eyes on him. "Are you ready?"</p><p>He nodded. "Yes, I am completely healed"</p><p>Delia smiled. "Good."</p><p>The pair sat in silence for a few moments, watching the people and Pokémon pass by down the road. Mrs. Ketchum quietly hummed a tune that was bright and sweet, he'd be lying if he said he disliked it.</p><p>"I've barely ever seen that," Jack said out of nowhere.</p><p>"Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows. He pointed towards a squirtle in the embrace of a girl, nuzzling its head in adoration.</p><p>"I never saw that where I'm from..." He explained.</p><p>"Really?" Delia asked, slightly surprised. She thought unity between humans and Pokémon was universal. "What are they like where you come from?"</p><p>"Well the last shelled one I met tried to tear my throat out" Jack huffed. Mrs. Ketchum assumed by "shelled one" he meant squirtle. She's never heard of them acting that ferocious.</p><p>"Where are you from?" She asked. Genuinely curious where Pokémon acted like that. The Man grunted.</p><p>"Im...from nowhere" He calmly stated. "Nowhere is a cruel place, for both of our kinds..."</p><p>She stared at him in confusion, what was that supposed to mean? Did he always talk in riddles? As her mind wandered, she looked down at her arm.</p><p>"Oh!! Better get Ash up!!" Delia shot up. Looking at the watch on her wrist in a slight panic. "Wouldn't want him to miss his big day!! Hehe!"</p><p>Jack nodded as he got up, wiped off his pants, and walked through the front door and back into the house. He was just beginning to get used to this place, and now he had to leave. Life just really knew how to pull him places. His mind felt a tad bit at peace for a few moments, before the air of tranquility was shattered by Ash rushing down the stairs. The boy didn't land on one of the steps right, sending him to the ground face first.</p><p>Jack had to resist the urge to smirk as he watched him lay there with his rear end in the air. The boy suddenly jumped to his feet, like the fall never even happened.</p><p>"You ready?" The Man asked.</p><p>"I'm ready!! I vow on this day that I will become a Pokémon master!!" Ash proclaimed loudly.</p><p>"Alright, well...let's not keep them waiting" Jack remarked. He nodded.</p><p>"Right!! Let's go!!" The boy yelled one final time, rushing through the still open door. Jack watched him burst through and rush down the road.</p><p>
  <em>"At least he's got spunk"</em>
</p><p>He followed behind him, not quite sprinting, more like a light jog. His eyes wandered to the houses around the neighborhood. He hadn't met even half of these people, but when they saw him they began whispering to themselves. The Man had never been the center of gossip before, and it made him...uncomfortable. It could spell bad news for him and his companion he was supposed to protect. He couldn't wait to get out of here now, as he didn't wish to get into a fight with civilians around. This, and including the fact he didn't have any weapons, he hoped the next city he went to had a gunsmith. No one noticed, but he had swept a bit more money than his "employers" thought...he had around a thousand or two thousand dollars left.</p><p>Jack continued jogging in Ash's wake till they got to professor Oak's lab. The building was a yellow color with a red roof. It's most distinguished feature was the large wind turbine built into the roof. The lab was right next to the main road with stone steps leading up to it.</p><p>The Man looked and saw a small crowd gathered by the gate. Some familiar faces, others he had no contact with. He could see Ash having a small argument with a boy that looked eerily similar to Blue, although he was a bit taller.</p><p>"Oh!! Jack's here!" Leaf beamed as she waved towards him. He decided the best course of action was to wave back, he didn't want to seem like an introvert.</p><p>Jack walked towards the small trio, with a look of confusion. He could clearly see Blue, but looked up to see his identical beyond the crowd. The trio saw this and sighed.</p><p>"Blue is that guy's twin" Red explained, his scowl ever present. "His name is Gary, he's a jerk"</p><p>"Yeah, he's way worse than blue" Leaf giggled, getting a light smack in the process.</p><p>"Hey!! I am not that bad!" The boy in question huffed before crossing his arms. The Man found the sight to be slightly entertaining.</p><p>"So...you're twins?" He asked. Blue nodded.</p><p>"Yep, and somehow he grew taller than me" The boy grumbled.</p><p>"I see, I need to go," Jack sighed before walking through the crowd. Not hearing any of their protests as he got past the horde of people.</p><p>"None of your business!!" A snarky voice retorted. He thought Blue sounded overconfident. Gary was spinning a Pokeball in front of Ash's face, as if mocking him that he got one first. The pompous boy soon walked over to a red car. Getting into the back, he waved and yelled out something about "learning the ways of the Pokémon trainer!!" before the car drove away. The crowd followed him out, leaving only Jack, Ash and the trio remaining.</p><p>
  <em>"Pompous asshat"</em>
</p><p>The Man sighed before turning his attention to the old man walking down the steps, he assumed that was Professor Oak. The old man wore a white lab coat with a red undershirt. His pants were a light brown and also wore dark brown shoes. His face looked weathered, but he saw wrinkles around his mouth, indicating he must smile a lot.</p><p>"Well if it isn't Ash and the color trio." The Professor chuckled. He looked over and saw Jack, immediately raising his eyebrows. "And you must be the young man Delia was talking about, Jack was it?"</p><p>He nodded at the Old man's query.</p><p>"Well come with me then, there's just enough Pokémon for you four." Oak gestured for them to follow.</p><p>They all walked up the steps and into his laboratory. The interior was interesting. It was filled with all sorts of monitors and keyboards that were probably too complicated for Jack to understand. They walked towards a small podium in the middle of the room, with four Pokéballs on it.</p><p>"Here are the Pokémon for your choosing, be sure to choose carefully as they are all unique for cert-" He was cut off by the color trio rushing past him and quickly grabbing their Pokémon. "Well, seems you have all already decided"</p><p>"Well, see ya!!" Leaf waved before walking through the door, her friends followed suit.</p><p>There was only one Pokéball left, one in the center with a small yellow lightning bolt on it. Jack could tell it was probably an electric type, it didn't take a genius to figure it out.</p><p>"That's the only one left" The Professor remarked.</p><p>
  <em>"No shit Sherlock"</em>
</p><p>"But I should warn you, there is a problem with this one" He said as he picked it up and handed it to Ash. The boy grabbed it with little hesitation. The ball opened, a huge beam of yellow energy poured out and onto the podium and a Pokémon appeared from the bright light.</p><p>"This is a Pikachu"</p><p>"Pikachu!!" The small Pokémon said. It looked like a giant mouse, with pointy ears and a tail that resembled a lightning bolt. Its fur was a bright yellow with brown stripes along its back. It's most interesting feature to Jack, was the red spots on its cheeks. They made it look like it was eternally blushing.</p><p>
  <em>"Never seen that one before"</em>
</p><p>"Oh it's so cute!!" Ash yelled in joy as he picked it up. Seeing the Pokémon's face turn to one of anger, Jack immediately stood back. With a small growl, lightning suddenly burst out of the Pikachu and shocked Ash till he was smoking.</p><p>"They are sometimes known for their electric personality," Professor Oak remarked as the volts slowly dissipated. "Here, this is your Pokedex and Pokéballs"</p><p>"Th...thanks" The boy groaned as he grabbed the equipment. As he grabbed it however, the Pikachu let out more electricity, shocking both Ash and the Professor.</p><p>"AAHHHH!!!! YOOUR WELCCOOME!!" The old man screamed as they both were getting volts poured into their bodies. Jack simply watched, fighting the urge to laugh.</p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>After that quite humorous event, Jack walked outside. Waiting for the smoking professor and boy to join him. He walked towards the gate, seeing a crowd. His eyes could see a big flag with Ash's name plastered on it, and it seemed he was more popular than the Man thought. Mrs. Ketchum could be seen in the front of the group. She saw Jack, her smile widened.</p><p>"Oh Jack!! How is Ash?" Delia asked, almost desperately. He shrugged.</p><p>"He got his Pokémon, it was quite the...shock to him" Jack replied, the others not following his joke. He looked back up to see the two walking towards the gate. The Man rested his back on the brick gate away from the group, not wanting to get shocked.</p><p>He sat and watched as Ash got bombarded by items his mother thought he needed for his adventure. Everything from clothes to hot chocolate, seemed like she thought he wouldn't be able to last a day without her. Jack huffed...talk about a protective parent. His eyes caught Ash's Pikachu get picked up, and immediately shocked the entire group. The Man was amazed mostly by how many volts that Pokémon must be putting out, and how much these people could take. Seemed like they were built to take Pokémon attacks. He remembered when an electric type fried a mercenary one time, it wasn't a pretty sight. His eyes popped out of his sockets and his body caught on fire. All that was left was a charred pile of skin and bone.</p><p>"We should be off" Jack said, walking towards Ash. He stepped over the unconscious group as he shook the smoking kid out of his stupor. "Hey, we need to get going"</p><p>"Oh, right!!" The boy nodded as he walked past the downed crowd. The trio began down the road, their adventure had begun.</p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>" Curious." Jack mumbled as they walked down the road. Ash walked with Pikachu being pulled by a small rope, his hands covered with rubber gloves his mother gave him. His Pokémon looked really uncomfortable and ticked off. The Man could see the Pikachu's veins pop out of its forehead. The sight was...humorous, but it also caused some concern as he knew this would slow them down.</p><p>"Wouldn't it be better if you walked?" Jack asked the Pokémon. It shook his head in denial. He sighed. "I learned that defiance never usually goes well"</p><p>Pikachu looked up at him in consideration for a few moments, before looking away and huffing. This thing sure was stubborn, he wondered if this is just it's personality, or something made it this way. The Man shrugged, it didn't matter to him. He just needed to get a move on away from that town, they were lucky they left right now.</p><p>Ash stopped, sighing before looking towards his Pokémon. His face was one of frustration and aggravation.</p><p>"Why can't you just be compliant and get into the Pokéball?" He asked. Jack was surprised, not by the question, but the fact he knew that word and its meaning."Just like it says in the Pokédex"</p><p>
  <strong>"While training, most Pokémon are kept inside a Pokéball"</strong>
</p><p>Pikachu quickly tapped a button.</p><p>
  <strong>"However, there are many exceptions, some Pokémon hate confinement"</strong>
</p><p>"Okay...how in the hell did it know how to do that?" Jack asked. Ash shrugged.</p><p>"I don't know, what I do know is that if you don't like being confined, then I'll free you!" He exclaimed as he untied the rope from around Pikachu's waist. The boy had a hopeful look on his face, but quickly scowled as the Pokémon looked away again. "Still not good enough...hmm"</p><p>Their bickering was cut short when they saw a Pokémon in the field. Jack thought it was just a regular bird. Ash brought out the Pokédex and apparently it was a pidgey, which sounded an awful lot like a pigeon. The Man made no comment however as the boy began to order Pikachu to battle it, but it refused. As it huffed in defiance, it hopped towards a tree, before climbing to a branch.</p><p>"Fine!! I can do it by myself!" Ash pouted. He turned to the Pidgey, and pulled out a Pokéball. He pulled the front of his hat to the back of his head before throwing the device full force. "Pokémon, your mine!!!"</p><p>The ball impacted the Pidgeys head, quickly forcing it into the device. This stuff confused Jack, how did that work? And why were they so cheap!!!?</p><p>The boy looked in anticipation as the ball shook back and forth. His hopes were crushed however when the device opened up and the Pidgey popped out of it, quickly flying away afterwards.</p><p>"Wasn't there something about weakening it first before catching it?" Jack asked. "I think the professor said that in between electric convulsions from your pet telephone pole up there"</p><p>He saw Pikachu stick his tongue out at him. The Man shrugged at the gesture. Ash looked towards him and nodded.</p><p>"Alright!! Got it!" The boy smirked as he grabbed a handful of stones and threw them towards a small group of Pidgey, although one looked different. Ash threw a stone and the other Pidgey flew away, except the weird one. It was different in shape, sharper, with an almost blade-like beak. Its body was a different color too, its wings a bright red. The Pokémon looked towards Ash with a glare that could kill, its forehead beginning to welt.</p><p>"Uh, i wonder what that is?" Ash asked nervously as he pulled out the Pokédex.</p><p>
  <strong>"Spearow, unlike Pidgey, has an awful temper and will attack trainers and their Pokémon"</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well... this will be interesting after all"</em>
</p><p>"Ya know, I think by weakening it, I don't think they meant piss it off." Jack stated as he slowly walked in front of Ash. He quickly met the Pokémon's talons with his forearm, blocking the attack. The Man quickly countered by landing a full force right jab to the Spearow's midsection. It would at least break one bone or two, but the screams of pain that came from its beak confirmed it was probably more than a few. The Pokémon was sent flying into the ground. It looked towards Jack with a death glare, but he didn't even react to it. He saw the Spearow yell towards a tree. The Man was confused at first, but when he saw the couple hundred Pokémon of the exact same species come out of the leaves from the tree, he quickly got the memo.</p><p>
  <em>"......This will be interesting...."</em>
</p><p>"Kid, take your Pokémon and get out of here for a bit.." Jack ordered. Ash looked towards him and nodded.</p><p>"Pikachu!! Come on, let's go!!" He yelled to the Pokémon in the tree. This time it complied, nodding its head before running down the path, the boy at its side.</p><p>
  <em>"Good...now it can get bloody"</em>
</p><p>"Come at me!!!" Jack yelled towards the swarm, which immediately came his direction. "I've been waiting for this!!"</p><p>The first Spearow didn't even get to reach his body, as he grabbed its neck and snapped it. He used the body to slam into another one, like a mace of flesh. Pokémon after Pokémon rushed towards him from the sky, but barely any of them got past his quick sweeps. The Man didn't care about the minor scratches or holes from their beaks, they were nothing compared to what he survived before. As he continued his beatdown, he noticed a small portion of them broke away from him and went towards the direction Ash ran away.</p><p>
  <em>"Oh come on"</em>
</p><p>Jack mentally sighed as he used the dead Spearow's beak to filet another one. He threw the corpse towards the flock and tailed the smaller group in a full blown sprint. This whole thing was to keep the flock distracted on him, and to let Ash escape, guess they had other plans.</p><p>The Man just kept running, not caring about the flock of Spearow still on his tail. He didn't need to fight anymore, now he just needed to save the kids ass. In his sprint, he squinted and saw what could be assumed was a drop off. The river made a sudden stop so it had to have been a waterfall.</p><p>
  <em>"Well, better odds he jumped, since there would be no other way if they didn't want to meet the flock head on"</em>
</p><p>Jack made the decision to jump. He had a running start after all, better chance to hit the water that way. He could see that he was about to fall into a rather large river the moment his feet came off the ground, so it wouldn't hurt that bad.</p><p>The Man felt the cold rush of the water hit his body, and the feeling of sinking. He immediately swam up to get his bearings, he felt air in his lungs once more as he saw a small dock, with a very ruffled redhead. That was his goal, as she would probably know where Ash is, he's very hard to miss.</p><p>He rushed towards her, his movements were similar to a breaststroke, except much faster. His arm movements picked up speed, to the point a small wave was flowing behind his body. This didn't matter to him, his goal was just to reach the girl. The dock was getting really close now, and right before he could hit his head, he submerged. He went a little deeper before making a break for the surface, bursting through the water and onto the dock.</p><p>"Uhhh…" The red head gawked in awe at him climbing up from the water. He was drenched, which to most would weigh them down, but he immediately stood up and walked over to her.</p><p>"Have you seen a kid come through here? black hair, Pikachu right next to him?" Jack asked, his voice devoid of any strain or emotion. She quickly shook herself out of her stupor and nodded.</p><p>"Yes, there was a boy who left on my bike." She answered as her hand pointed down the road.</p><p>"Thank you. A flock of Spearow are coming, better run." He warned as he sprinted down the road, like the marathon level of speed he was swimming at didn't even happen. The girl looked and saw the flock coming her way, to which she ran in the man's direction, although much slower.</p><p>Jack was having a really annoying day, but he swore to keep Ash safe so it didn't matter, he wasn't one to break promises, maybe lie and steal, but he never broke promises, he couldn't…</p><p>He shook himself out of his thoughts as he looked down the road. There was still nothing, but he could hear the sounds of angry birds a few hundred meters ahead.</p><p>The sounds of a storm were approaching, the sky was turning to a dark grey. The sky began to downpour, puddles quickly forming from the shower of a rainstorm.</p><p>The Man quickened his pace, moving fast enough the trees were beginning to blur and merge together, he needed to get there, and quickly.</p><p>Jack could finally see Ash and Pikachu, who were both worse for wear. He quickened even further in speed as he saw the flock try to dive towards the boy. The two looked in shock as the Man pushed Ash out of the way and slammed his fist into one a Spearow's skull. A second, a third and a fourth dive towards him, beaks ready to pierce his flesh. Time seemed to slow down as he grabbed the closest one and slammed it into the first, causing a chain reaction, resulting in six of them being affected by the impact. He threw the Spearow in his hand to the ground, when something strange happened. Its body began glowing a bright white, blinding everything in its vicinity. The other bird Pokémon flew away from the light, realizing something was happening.</p><p>
  <em>"What the-"</em>
</p><p>Jack's thoughts were cut off as a giant beak was rushing towards him. He rolled out of the way, his body shielding Ash and Pikachu. The Spearow had changed. It's body was much larger, almost 6 ft tall, and its beak was much longer and sharper as well. The Man didn't know what happened, was this normal? Was it odd? He had never seen Pokémon do this before. He had to be on guard, as this was no longer a game. The now larger Pokémon looked towards Jack with hatred in its eyes, but he didn't flinch. This was nothing to him, he was worried for the kid and his pet, he didn't know if Pikachu could take this on.</p><p>"Come on!! Lets go!!" He yelled as he rushed the Pokémon, ducking under its huge beak and landing a haymaker into its chest area. The Bird Pokémon screamed in Pain, but dodged the next punch and sent him to the ground with it's huge wings. The Man rushed to his feet as he avoided the giant birds beak ready to stab right through him. He looked up to see the giant flock of Spearow still eyeing him.</p><p>He sighed before ducking under another swing of the larger Spearow's giant wings. This wasn't good, if he couldn't fight them all off, he wouldn't be able to protect Ash. He was cut from trying to strategize by the giant Pokémon charging him full speed. All he could do was grab it beak so it couldn't tear out his throat as they both hit the ground. The Man looked and saw Ash rise from the ground and Protect Pikachu from the Spearow's assault.</p><p>
  <em>"Not my best day"</em>
</p><p>Jack grunted in exertion as he kept the Pokémon's beak open, he wasn't fond of the idea of having his neck being ripped off. His struggles came to an end however as he felt volts go through his body, he growled from the burning sensation of his body being electrocuted, but did not scream. His opponent on the other hand roared in agony, quickly falling limp. The Pokémon collapsed onto Jack. He growled as the volts came to an end, quickly pushing the giant Spearow's body off him.</p><p>
  <em>"What happened?"</em>
</p><p>He looked around and saw all the other Spearow on the ground, unconscious. The Man looked to see Ash and Pikachu laying on the ground together. His pet must've been the cause of it. He slowly got up, walking towards the two.</p><p>"You alright?" Jack asked. Ash looked up and nodded.</p><p>"We did it" He mumbled as he smiled.</p><p>"Yeah, we did. Get up" The Man grabbed his hand and lifted him to his feet.</p><p>"Thanks" The kid said as he picked up Pikachu. The storm began to pass, and a bright rainbow appeared in the sky. Jack looked towards the sight in slight shock, not from the rainbow, but from the Pokémon flying through the rainbow. It was similar in shape to the giant Spearow he just fought, except much more regal in appearance.</p><p>"What's that?" Ash asked the Pokédex.</p><p>"Unknown, there are many Pokémon that have not been discovered"</p><p>"Well that's helpful" Jack scoffed. He looked back to the rainbow and the Pokémon was gone, as fast as it came." This place confuses me"</p><p>"Same here" Ash sighed as he picked up Pikachu. He looked to the Man. "We need to go towards the hospital, a girl told me its down the road"</p><p>Jack nodded.</p><p>With that, the two began jogging down the road towards the Pokémon hospital, the start of their adventure is a rough one...but this is only the beginning.</p><p>END OF CHAPTER 1</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>OKAY, CHAPTER TWO. HOPE YA GUYS LIKE THIS IDEA. ANYWAY, LET'S GET TO IT, HAHA.</p><p>POKÉMON IS OWNED BY NINTENDO AND GAME FREAK, I DO NOT OWN THEM.</p><p>CHAPTER 2</p><p>Running, this wasn't an unusual thing for him to do. He's basically been running all his life, from many things… horrid things, but running to save a Pokémon with a kid he just met less than a week ago? That on the other hand, was something he wasn't used to. Although… this feeling of running on the open road, was the feeling of him still running for freedom, and he had it in his grasp.</p><p>Jack looked over to see Ash holding the Pokémon like it was his own child. The man was confused by this, why is he so protective of an animal that was acting so defiant and disrespectful to him? It didn't click with him. He wasn't going to overthink it, this was most likely just an act of goodwill, he had seen this before… but it never lasted. </p><p>"Come on! We're almost there!" The boy grunted as his shoes kicked up dirt as he ran even faster than before. Jack wasn't putting too much effort into this, the kids pet would live, he's seen Pokémon recover from worse. "Hold on Pikachu, you'll be fine!"</p><p>"Pika...chu." It said before closing its eyes. The man could see it was still breathing, so there wouldn't be a need for the boy to panic yet. He looked ahead and could see the town, Viridian city. The place was quite large for a city out in the countryside, with huge skyscraper like buildings way in the distance. The three were still on the outskirts however, the roads were still dirt.  They needed to get to the hospital that was near the center of town. </p><p>Ash was running past a gate barrier when someone grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. The woman was no other than Officer Jenny, this confused Jack. Wasn't she in Pallet town? Why was she here all of a sudden? Jack was right behind the two, his face a small scowl.</p><p>"Where do you think you're going young man?" She asked. He was turned around to face the officer, she had a suspicious look on her face. "And what are you doing with that Pokémon?"</p><p>"Uhhh..." Before he could explain his actions, Officer Jenny quickly fell to the ground. She looked up to see Jack above her, pushing Ash to run faster.</p><p>"Sorry, ya snooze ya lose." The man smirked as he ran away with the kid and injured Pikachu. They continued down the dirt road, ignoring the screaming officer and noticed they were now running on concrete. </p><p>
  <i>"The hospitals gotta be around here somewhere."</i>
</p><p>"That's gotta be it!" Ash yelled as he nodded towards what did indeed look like a hospital. It was a large white building with a round roof that cut off before a large red sphere was at the base of the strangely designed roof. They ran towards the entrance. The doors opened automatically right before they rushed through the entrance. Jack looked to see… Nurse Joy? Why was she and Officer Jenny here? Did it matter? No… not to him.</p><p>"You know there's no need to run." She started calmly. </p><p>"We have a Pokémon in need of medical help," Jack explained, gesturing to the Pikachu in Ash's arms."So, better hurry if you want to save its life."</p><p>The nurse’s face turned even more stern than before. It was… intriguing, since she was much brighter in Pallet town. She nodded.</p><p>"We'll do what we can." Her fingers hit the keyboard, most likely calling for a gurney. "I need a stretcher for a small electric Pokémon!"</p><p>Not a moment later, two Pokémon were pushing a stretcher towards the trio. Nurse Joy gently took Pikachu out of Ash's hands and placed it on the gurney. The nurse then turned to Ash, with a frown on her face.</p><p>"Are you this Pokémon's trainer?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. Ash slowly nodded, this however only caused her frown to widen."How could you let your Pokémon get this hurt!? You should never let your Pokémon battle to this state."</p><p>"But that's not wha-"</p><p>"His Pokémon didn't fight," Jack interrupted, cutting Ash off. "It was… an unfortunate circumstance. Don't lecture someone when you don't know what the hell happened."</p><p>Nurse Joy simply stood with her mouth open, before nodding and turning to Ash.</p><p>"He's right, I shouldn't be so quick to yell, sorry." She apologized. The boy waved his hand.</p><p>"No! It's fine, I get it," He replied.</p><p>"Anyway, we'll take Pikachu into the operating room now, don't worry, your Pokémon will be fine." Joy smiled before pushing the stretcher into a room.</p><p>"Wait is there anythi-" Before Ash could finish, the doors shut, leaving him with a hopeless look on his face. "Pikachu…"</p><p>"This might take awhile." Jack pointed out, sitting down and crossing his arms. "Might as well sit down."</p><p>The boy looked towards him and nodded, following his example and sitting down. The pair stared in silence at the door for a few moments, before Ash spoke up.</p><p>"Thanks for that earlier." He rubbed the back of his neck. The man nodded. </p><p>"I never liked getting my ear chewed off, so I assumed you hate it too." Jack huffed. The boy nodded, slowly looking towards the phones to the right of the operating room.</p><p>"Let's call my mom at home," Ash explained, quickly getting up. Jack followed suit, somewhat intrigued at how far they'd gotten. Their walk was interrupted by Officer Jenny bursting through the door on a motorbike.</p><p>"You call your mother, I'll deal with this." The man explained. Ash nodded before sprinting to the phone. </p><p>"You're coming with me, young man!" Jenny yelled, rushing off her bike with a taser in hand.</p><p>"Would you care to let me explain, or do you want to get your ass kicked?" Jack asked, a small smirk pulling at his lips. The Officer starred in consideration, before putting her taser on her belt.</p><p>"Make it quick." She blurted. The man slowly lost his stance.</p><p>"We came here because his Pokémon was critically ill, and we didn't get to explain, there wouldn't have been time before the Pokémon got sent to its maker. That understandable? Or are ya still gonna arrest me?" Jack explained coldy, his voice completely devoid of emotion. The Officer stood in shock at his words, before giving a nervous smile to his intense stare.</p><p>"Oh.. okay, I see...well, you’re good to go." She stated. The man nodded before walking over to the phones, ignoring the other visitors gawking at his actions. He made his way over to Ash and his mother, her face shown on a screen next to the phone.</p><p>"Oh! Hi Jack. How are you?" Mrs. Ketchum blurted out, her voice much louder than he expected.</p><p>"I am alright." Jack responded, his voice still void of emotion. She nodded before looking at Ash.</p><p>"Don't forget what I told you, okay?" The boy nodded at her words. "Okay, love you Ash and take good care of him Jack!!"</p><p>"I will."</p><p>"Love you too!"</p><p>The sound of the phone shutting off went throughout the room, a small silence followed. Ash slowly got out of the phone seat, walking towards the front desk. He looked over and saw a mural of four Pokémon carved in stone.</p><p>"Isn't that the one we saw after the storm?" Jack asked, pointing towards the Pokémon on the top right of the mural. Ash's eyes widened, before quickly nodding.</p><p>"Yeah! That's the one from the rainbow!" He smiled. The man squinted as he looked at the carving. It was definitely what they saw, the characteristics were far too similar to not be considered at least a form of the creature they had seen. </p><p>Suddenly the phone on the front desk buzzed and shouted an extremely annoying ringtone. The words it was spewing were far too annoying, they were lucky he didn't have a gun in hand. Ash walked towards the phone, picking it up. </p><p>A screen next to the mural lit up, and there behind it Professor Oak's head appeared.  The man didn't care to hear their conversation, so he walked around to see if there was anything of value in the hospital, like blades, or guns...or any form of map to see where they were. </p><p>After a few minutes of looking around, he couldn't find much. He could only find a rather clear indication that they were in Viridian City, which is certainly information, but knowing where that is compared to everywhere else would also be vital. His searching was ended when the red headed girl from before came rushing through the door, her destroyed bike held above her head.</p><p>"Hey! You!" She yelled in Jack's direction.</p><p>"Hmm?" He looked over to see her stomping towards him. "Oh, it's you."</p><p>"Yes it's me! You know where that brat went!?" The redhead asked. The man nodded.</p><p>"Yes, but I must ask you to refrain from hurting him," Jack explained coldy.</p><p>"Why's that?" She snorted. His face turned from cold to intense.</p><p>"Because I protect him." His eyes widened as he bent over, looking her dead in the eye. "So… hurt him, and you deal with me…"</p><p>"Uuhhh…" She took a step back, shocked by his sudden change in demeanor. "A..alright! I'll keep my hands off!"</p><p>The redhead quickly huffed as she looked away, arms crossed. </p><p>"Where is he?" Her voice lost its booming tone as she asked. Jack pointed towards the area near the operating room.</p><p>"He's there," He responded. She nodded before rushing towards the boy, Jack hoped she would keep her word, beating a child wasn't something he wished to do here. He walked towards them, wondering how this would turn out.</p><p>"I won't fall for that again kid! I just want a new bike right NOW!" She screamed into Ash's ear. The boy visibly flinched at every word she spewed, sweat on his brow from her fury. </p><p>"I'll.. .I'll pay it back, I promise, but… I can't do anything til my Poké-" He was cut off again by her screaming.</p><p>"I don't want your excuses kid! I want a new bike right now!" The redhead waved her fist in his face. </p><p>"How about we repay your debt when his Pokémon isn't on its deathbed?" Jack pointed towards the operating room. "Once his Pokémon is healed we'll get you a new bike, fair enough?"</p><p>Once again his words caused another person's jaw to drop. She stared at him in silence before slowly nodding. </p><p>"Hmph! Fine! Once your Pokémon is well, I better get a new bike!" She yelled. The pair immediately nodded. Jack quickly turned to the door as it opened, seeing the medical Pokémon and Nurse Joy strolling Pikachu out on a gurney. The man could see small wires come from an interesting device attached to a headband on its forehead, a lightbulb on top, most likely keeping it alive with a strong electric charge… it was an electric type after all.</p><p>"Your Pokémon will be just fine." Joy smiled as she strolled towards the three. "You're lucky you got here so quickly. The procedure went beautifully and it will recover."</p><p>
  <i>"Interesting, most procedures I had took hours...maybe they have better technology here…"</i>
</p><p>"Now it should rest in the recovery room." The Nurse smiled. "You should stay with Pikachu Ash."</p><p>The hopeful moment was annihilated by a loud alarm buzzing throughout the building. Jack was immediately on guard, it wasn't his pursuers, was it? He wished he stole a knife or a scalpel from the operating room when he had the chance.</p><p>"What does that mean?" He asked, his voice hard and stern. He wasn't asking, he was demanding.</p><p>"That means there's a threat in the area to the Pokémon." Nurse Joy explained, her body tense as sweat dripped from her brow.</p><p>Suddenly the glass on the ceiling shattered from two Pokéballs falling to the ground. Jack quickly got into a combat stance, ready to fight and defend the boy. The device's opened to reveal two very different Pokémon. One was a floating ball with holes across its sphere-like body, with black gas pouring out of them. The second was a giant purple snake, looking like an overgrown pit viper.</p><p>"Ekansss!!!"</p><p>"Koffing!"</p><p>"What the hell are those things?" Jack asked.</p><p>"Ekans and Koffing! They are both Poison-types so watch out!" The redhead warned. He nodded before raising his fists.</p><p>"Oh ho ho ho! Does he really think using his fists will do any good?" A snarky female voice rang out through the gas Koffing produced.</p><p>"I'm not sure, should we see if his method is practical?" Another voice came in, this one male. The gas aired out, revealing the culprits. They were only a pair, one man and one woman. </p><p>The woman had long pink to purplish hair, which came down in a very odd swirl. Her garments were nothing special, except for one symbol on her chest. A giant "R".... was she a part of a team? The man didn't know much about the teams, except they were petty compared to the people he "worked" for… and were little to no threat. </p><p>The man had the exact same outfit as the woman. Black gloves and boots, with white shirts and pants. They must've been a part of some organization, if he wasn't in this civilian filled area he would interrogate them. Then something happened he didn't expect.</p><p>"Prepare for trouble!" The woman started. </p><p>"Make it double!" The man cut in.</p><p>"To protect the world from devastation!"</p><p>"To unite all peoples within our nation!"</p><p>"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"</p><p>"To extend our reach to the stars above!"</p><p>"Jessie!" The woman exclaimed.</p><p>"James!" The Man did the same.</p><p>"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"</p><p>"Surrender now or prepare to fight!!"</p><p>A small Pokémon jumped through the roof and landed. It looked like a small bipedal cat, it's most distinguished trait being the gem on its forehead.</p><p>"MEOWTH! That's right!" It finished the speech. After all of that, they stood there proudly like they had said something intimidating or threatening. To Jack… that was both annoying and hilarious. Who makes such stupid speeches? Maybe they were as harmless as he thought.</p><p>"What… what are you talking about?" Ash asked, his voice full of worry.</p><p>"He doesn't get it." Jessie smirked as she put her hands on her hips.</p><p>"How could we when all you said was a retarded motto that makes no damn sense?" Jack asked, which sent them into a small fit. They both glared at him with looks that could… mildy threaten a regular person.</p><p>"Rrrr!!! It doesn't matter what you think!! All we are here for is the Pokémon!" The woman growled, pointing a finger to him.</p><p>"I'll never let you touch Pikachu!" The boy yelled. The pair quickly reverted to their calm smiles. </p><p>"Pikachu? That yellow rat? Heh, as if." Jessie snorted. "We're here for rare and unusual Pokémon."</p><p>"Well that's too bad, this is Pokémon Center….which is meant for weak and sick Pokémon." Nurse Joy explained, which only caused the villainous woman to laugh.</p><p>"Hahaha!!! I'm sure we can find a few diamonds in the rough!" She smiled.</p><p>"You're starting to bug me," Ash growled.</p><p>"Really? They've been annoying to me ever since they got here." Jack stated as he got in between the kids and the pair of villains.</p><p>"Well if they're bugged, let's squash 'em!" The cat Pokémon, which Jack was going to assume was called Meowth, yelled before the pair pointed towards the group behind him.</p><p>"Ekans! Go!" Jessie yelled to the giant snake.</p><p>"Koffing! Attack!" James ordered the giant floating ball.</p><p>They quickly charged the man. He didn't think they would be so fast, but it didn't matter. He jumped over Koffing and Ekans, landing past the pair.</p><p>"You two are quite slow." Jack commented as they hit their heads on the front desk. Ekans turned around and dug under the floor, that was a new one. All he could do was try to anticipate when the snake would burst from the ground while dodging Koffings gas, which was….easier said than done. He ducked below Koffing and jumped onto the front desk, barely missing Ekans flying out of the ground, mouth wide open. The man looked to see Ash and the others staring at him in shock. "Why aren't you running!?"</p><p>"R… Right!" Ash nodded before the trio pushed Pikachu away. Jack looked to the duo of Pokémon, they were ripping through computers and electronics. </p><p>"Hey! Assholes! Come and get me unless you're a bunch of cowards…" The man taunted, trying to get the Pokémon annoyed. It worked, the Pokémon rushed towards him again. He had a strategy this time. </p><p>Jack jumped into the air onto Koffing, before kicking the floating ball onto the snake's head, sending them both to the ground. The man dropped to the ground, before getting his feet knocked out from under him by the snake's tail. He quickly performed a kick up to get to his feet before crouching down to dodge the floating ball trying to knock the wind out of him. </p><p>"What the!?" Jessie asked as she witnessed the man dodge and counter their Pokémon's attacks. The villains gawked when he slid underneath ekans coils and jumped into the air, landing on Koffing once again. He tried to land a solid elbow to the top of the Pokémon, only for it to bounce off.</p><p>
  <i>"Oh come on!!"</i>
</p><p>"You can dodge boy, but punching won't do much good." James smirked, holding a rose for some reason. Jack didn't stop however, continuing to slam his fists into the Pokémons rock like cranium. Koffings face turned from an almost cocky look, to one of worry. After a few moments, a small crack appeared, with a small trickle of blood following suit. The Pokémon let out a small beam of toxic gas towards the man the moment it felt its armor crack, forcing Jack to let go.</p><p>He jumped back a few feet, before jumping over Ekans trying to envenomate him, only biting into the floor before it could stop itself.</p><p>
  <i>"So they aren't invincible, they're just tougher than people."</i>
</p><p>He smirked as he jumped towards Koffing, swiping away the gas, trying to reach the scar he had caused. </p><p>"Ekanssss!" The Pokémon yelled as it latched onto his shoulder. Jack yelled as he fell to the ground, grabbing Ekans by the neck. He slowly stood up as he threw the snake's lower body over his head and slammed it into the ground, forcing Ekans to let go from the pain. The man grabbed its head and palm striked it in the jaw, sending it to the floor. He held his shoulder in pain, already feeling the venom seeping into his veins. </p><p>"Koffing!" The floating ball blasted towards him, trying to knock him to the ground. Jack's face suddenly contorted into a wide smile with a dangerous look in his eyes. He charged towards the incoming Pokémon, a single fist cocked. The Pokémon didn't realize its mistake until the man jumped into the air, and unleashed a falling haymaker to the center of its face. When his fist made contact, Koffings body got shot to the ground, making the floor crack and rumble. Jack landed on his feet, the same dangerous smirk on his face as he slowly walked towards the downed Pokémon. The villains now had looks of fear on their faces, having never seen a man, much less a teen do such a thing before.</p><p>"It's been fun," Jack chuckled as he looked down at the fearful Koffing. He noticed it didn't look that much more damaged, it sure was tough. "Maybe i should see what's underneath that skin, see what makes you thick...I’m now *extremely* curious."</p><p>The pair of villains sweat dropped. They didn't realize this quiet young man would be so violent. The Koffing didn't even let him get another step towards it before the Pokémon began to glow a bright light. Jack's curiosity soon turned to realization as he kicked the floating ball towards Team Rocket. The pair and the Meowth couldn't react in time before the Pokémon exploded. The explosion was huge, covering most of the hospital as the blast was like a giant column of fire. The entirety of Team Rocket was sent into the sky, out of sight. Jack looked up to see them leave with a twinkle… it made no damn sense to him, but the main threat was gone now so he wasn't complaining. </p><p>"Jack? Wh... What happened?" Ash asked, coughing from the asphalt. The man huffed as he walked over to the kids and the nurse.</p><p>"I took care of 'em, simple," Jack explained. He looked over to see Pikachu still on the gurney, although this time standing up with a smile on its face. "You seem better."</p><p>"Pika! Pika!" It nodded, its smile only widening. </p><p>"Consider that repayment for you for assisting me with that big ass bird." The man explained, before looking to the nurse. "Oh, by the way… you got something for an... Ekans bite?"</p><p>"Oh! Right here!" Nurse Joy stumbled over as she grabbed an antidote from her desk and ran over to him. "Where did it bite you!?"</p><p>"On my right shoulder." Jack answered, pointing to the rips on his shirt. She quickly opened the rips up and sprayed the agent into the wound, the man barely flinching from the stinging sensation.</p><p>"There, you should be good now," Joy smiled. The Man nodded in thanks. "And thank you."</p><p>"For what?" He asked. The nurse looked at him, surprised.</p><p>"For saving the Pokémon! While you held them off we transferred all the Pokémon to another Pokémon center!" She explained, an even bigger smile on her face. "You saved tons of Pokémon! What's your name young man?"</p><p>"Jack, but you know that already," The man answered. This caused Nurse Joy to raise an eyebrow.</p><p>"Really? I've never met you before today." She explained. </p><p>"What? We met in Pallet town, remember?" He asked.</p><p>"Ooooh, no that was my sister!" She giggled. "You're new around here, aren't you?" </p><p>"Yes." Jack answered quickly. So she was her sister? This is confusing, and why did she look exactly like her? Were they twins?</p><p>"Anyway, Jack…. I won't be forgetting that name anytime soon." Joy smiled. </p><p>Jack simply nodded once more, before looking towards the redhead from before.</p><p>"What's your name?" He asked. She looked towards him with a surprised expression on her face.</p><p>"Uhm… Misty, my name's Misty" She answered. Misty...interesting name. "Yours? I'm going to assume it's Jack."</p><p>"Correct," He answered. They stared each other in the eye for a few moments, before he turned to the nurse once more." How long till Pikachu recovers?" </p><p>"Uhh… about a day." Joy answered. Jack nodded before walking towards the city.</p><p>"Ash, stay here, I'll be back." He explained.</p><p>"Where are you going?" The boy asked. The man turned towards him.</p><p>"I need to go buy some things. Mostly things for… self defense." He answered. </p><p>"Like pepper spray?" Ash asked.</p><p>".... Yeah… Like pepper spray." Jack lied, beginning his walk to the city once more. </p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>The city was booming, especially after the large explosion. He kept walking however, not caring for the people rushing past him, running towards the plume of smoke coming from the Pokémon Center. The man was looking for something, a certain building. He walked across another road, and turned another corner, ignoring the cars and people staring at him with suspicious eyes.</p><p>
  <i>"Camron Corps. Come on… Camron Corps. Where is it? They told me it would be in all large cities."</i>
</p><p>He looked around, seeing if there was a sign on any of the buildings that said, "Camron Corps. Here to serve, always!". Jack always found it funny that such a horrid and corrupt corporation could have such a welcoming slogan.</p><p>
  <i>"There!"</i>
</p><p>He looked to see a large skyscraper, one of the biggest he had ever seen. It was like a giant tower that was also trying to look like a coliseum. It was like a work of art… if only he had the others… he could burn it to the ground. The mans fist began to twitch as he felt his rage seeping throughout his entire body. He remembered that he needed to stay calm and collected through this process, after all, they still have to think he's on their side. </p><p>Jack smirked as he jogged across the street to reach the entrance. The entrance had almost five doors, a huge amount in his book. He entered the main lobby, and it almost looked like a damn airport. Escalators replaced stairs and people walked around with huge suitcases. It looked super professional, so he began to realize he stood out from the rest, which sorta ruined his plan to blend in. </p><p>
  <i>"Screw it."</i>
</p><p>The man grunted as he walked towards the front desk. There were multiple people behind the desk, but the person who caught his attention was a blue haired woman. The small green badge means she knows the code words.</p><p>"Excuse me, I wish to know something." Jack said, putting his hands on her desk. She looked up with emotionless eyes, a woman like him.</p><p>"Yes?" She asked, her voice sweet. He could tell it was fake however, the woman hated it here, like he did.</p><p>"Buki motteru?(Ya got weapons?)" The man asked. At first her eyes widened in shock, her mouth slightly agape.</p><p>"You're… an agent?" She whispered, her eyes looked like this was the most exciting thing that's happened to her in months.</p><p>"Yes, I'd like access to your available arms, so I can return to war," Jack explained. The woman immediately nodded before standing up.</p><p>"Please follow me sir." She calmly stated. He nodded as he walked behind her to a secure room to the right of the escalator. When they got to the door, she grabbed her green badge and swiped it across what he assumed was a scanner. It clicked, and the door was unlocked. </p><p>When they entered, he was expecting… a lot more. All they had were blades that were from the size of a knife, to a regular sword. They were all on tables with lights illuminating their deadly sheens.</p><p>"Where are all the firearms?" The man asked, gesturing to the lack of gun racks. </p><p>"We haven't been able to import any from Shinrin, sir." She explained, looking like she was close to squealing from excitement. "It has been far too risky with the tighter security lately at the ports."</p><p>Jack growled to himself, annoyed at the situation he found himself in. He quietly sighed before nodding.</p><p>"Alright, I'll be taking a few of these." He stated. The man quickly walked towards the table with the knives. He grazed a hand across the throwing knives, and a memory popped into his head.</p><p>
  <i>*"Just try it for once, throwing knives aren't bad when ya get used to them Jackie!!"*</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"If I slit my own throat...I'm blaming you."</i>
</p><p>He knitted his brows as he picked up a kunai. He decided to give in, taking all twelve. He grabbed the holster for the knives that goes from his left shoulder to his right hip and loops around. He sheathed every single one before looking to the next table. </p><p>He looked and saw an… interesting blade. It was the shape of a katana, but yet the size of a knife. The blade was about 7 inches long with a decently sharpened edge.</p><p>"What's this called?" Jack asked. The woman walked over and examined the blade.</p><p>"I believe that's called… a wakizashi." She answered. He nodded before grabbing the blade and sheath. He attached the sheath to his belt, adjusting it to the handle face front wards, so it's easier to grab. </p><p>Another blade caught his eye. A machete, but it's blade was at least eighteen inches long. The handle wasn't anything special, it looked like that of a katana, but not curved. The metal was likely black stainless steel, his favorite. He grabbed the sheath and attached it right next to the wakizashi, with the smaller blade's grip right above the machete. He swinged the machete around for a few minutes, before sheathing it and looking towards the woman.</p><p>"I think I'm ready." Jack stated, walking towards the entrance to the room. </p><p>"Of course, sir." The woman nodded as they both walked out the door. She locked it behind them, turning to see him walking towards the entrance.</p><p>"Arigato (thanks)." The man said before walking out of the building. He sighed the moment fresh air hit his lungs. Then realization hit him that he's wasted far too much time, so on his way back, he was in a full blown sprint. Tracking his way back to the center wasn't hard, as the smoke was still easy to spot, even if it was a third of the size as it was when the explosion just went off.</p><p>"Where do you think you're going!?" Officer Jenny yelled, grabbing Jack by the shoulder.</p><p>
  <i>"Not her again…"</i>
</p><p>"I am going to the Pokémon Center," He explained.</p><p>"With weapons like that?" She frowned as she pointed to the large amount of blades he wore. "It might be legal, but i'm still suspicious of a man carrying around a coat full of blades."</p><p>"That's fair, although I am no threat to anyone, at least… that doesn't try to attack me or Ash." The man explained, gesturing to himself. The Officer stared at him, brows knitted. "So can I please go? I have a job to do."</p><p>"Fine, you're free to go." Jenny sighed as she let go of his shoulder. "And you did save the Pokémon in the center, so you're a man who seems trustworthy."</p><p>"Thank you." Jack nodded before sprinting towards the center once again.</p><p>He turned the corner and ran across another street. Once he ran past a small store he saw the center, or what's left of it. He saw a car rushing down the street, so he tried to act normal by waiting for it to pass. If the situation was different, he'd probably rush across the street. The car passed him, and he immediately ran to the other side, his feet touching the road only a handful of times. He jumped over the stair and ran into the rubble.</p><p>"Jack!" Ash yelled. The boy waved in his direction. The man walked over to him, now equipped with all the arms he would need for now. "What's all that stuff?"</p><p>"Pepper spray, in a way. When people see them, they don't look a second time." He explained, tapping the handle of the machete. Ash looked conflicted, staring at his weaponry. He looked into Jack's eyes, nodding at his words.</p><p>"Okay." The boy looked towards Pikachu. He smiled, glad the Pokémon is alright.</p><p>"How is the mouse doing?" The man asked. </p><p>"Pikachu's doing good, how are you?" He asked back, still looking at his blades with a nervous look.</p><p>"I'm alright, nothing that would hold me back." He answered. Ash nodded, before looking to Misty.</p><p>"What are we gonna do with her?" He asked. Jack looked towards the redhead and shrugged. </p><p>"No clue, do what you want with her." The man answered. </p><p>"Are you two talking about me!?" The topic of discussion asked.</p><p>"No!"</p><p>"Yes…."</p><p>They both replied with opposite answers. It at first confused Misty, before she grew even more irritated.</p><p>"Well it's rude to talk about someone when they're right in front of you, ya know!?" The girl explained, her voice beginning to irritate the man. </p><p>"Well then, do you wish to be part of the conversation? You seem irritated about it, so talk… go." He stated. This confused Misty even more than before.</p><p>"Uh… what?" She blinked a few times.</p><p>"Do you have anything to add to this conversation? You wished to be part of it." Jack explained.</p><p>"Uhhhh…" Misty blinked again.</p><p>"If you have nothing to add, then don't yell." He crossed his arms. This action left both Ash and the redhead dumbstruck, he quickly walked away before the girl could make a retort. She looked towards the boy, who simply shrugged.</p><p>"Don't ask me, I have no clue why he acts like that." He nervously smiled.</p><p>"He's strange," Misty pointed out, watching as the man unsheathed his blade. Ash nodded.</p><p>"Got that right, but he's a cool guy." He replied. They both watched as he practiced with his machete, wielding it with great skill and precision. Some swings were so fast they couldn't even see it. </p><p>"So… how did you meet a guy like him?" She asked.</p><p>"Huh? Oh! Uhhh, My mom brought him home to stay with us, he was hurt… badly." Ash explained. </p><p>"Why was he hurt?" Misty asked, having a tinge of pity in her eyes.</p><p>"He said he was mugged." He answered. "But… I don't know if that's true."</p><p>"Like, who would mug him? He fought off two Pokémon by himself. Why would anyone bother?" The boy explained, his brows knitted.</p><p>"Uh, someone who doesn't know him? I mean, he doesn't look threatening when he's not in action." Misty explained. Ash nodded.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah… you're probably right!" He scratched the back of his head, assuming he was overthinking things. They continued to watch as he fought an invisible opponent.</p><p>Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny watched as Jack swung his blade. The Police Officer had just arrived to see the spectacle after trying to track where the Pokémon thieves had gone, only to find no trace.</p><p>"He sure is good at fighting." Joy pointed out, gasping when he unleashed a flurry of slices that made small gusts of wind with every slash.</p><p>"Where did he learn that technique?" Jenny asked, watching the way he sliced the air. She couldn't recognize the form he was using. The woman had learned sword techniques, as most mob bosses liked swords and knives when in close quarters. "It's… impossible to read."</p><p>Jack's technique was random and chaotic, but yet it also looked like every single cut was precise. Not to mention his speed baffled her, she knew what a sword fight looked like, and most pros she had met would be gone in moments from this man's fighting style.</p><p>"Are you alright?" Nurse Joy asked. Officer Jenny quickly nodded, a nervous smile plastered on her face.</p><p>"Y… Yeah! Sorry, just distracted is all!" She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed she lost herself in deep thought. "I was just confused!"</p><p>"I get you." Joy replied, still staring at the spectacle before her. "They'll be just fine in the Viridian forest with him around, hehe."</p><p>Officer Jenny nodded, a similar smile spreading across her face. They'd be just fine.</p><p>(THE NEXT DAY)</p><p>The trio, along with the man went down the dirt road. The forest was a pleasant green, the sun piercing through the canopy gave off a feeling of peace and calm that was unable to be felt by one of the group members.</p><p>"How much longer till we get to the next city?" Jack asked, crossing his arms. Ash looked towards him, sweat dropping.</p><p>"Well… uhhh." he could only make out before Misty cut him off.</p><p>"So we're lost huh? Isn't that ju- aaagh!" She was cut off when she jumped behind Jack. </p><p>"What is it?" Ash asked. </p><p>"O… Over there..." The girl whispered as she pointed over to the boy's left. In between the trees was a giant caterpillar. It's most distinguished trait was the large pink crest on top of its head.</p><p>"Oh cool! A Caterpie!" Ash exclaimed. He quickly pulled out a Pokéball. </p><p>"So… are you going to hide behind me the whole time?" Jack asked Misty, still cowering on his back. She didn't move or even respond to his query, so he simply shrugged and watched as Ash pulled his hat back, arching his arm to throw the Pokéball. </p><p>"Caterpie! Your mine!" He yelled as he threw the device. The Pokémon turned into a bright light of energy as it flew into the Pokéball. The boy watched in anticipation as the ball shaked back and forth. It suddenly made a fizzling sound, indicating it had been caught.</p><p>Ash's face slowly went from a small smirk to s full blown shining smile. He laughed as he ran around with the Pokéball in his hands like it was a gift from god.</p><p>"Yes! Yes! Yes! I finally caught my first Pokémon!" The boy's face was incorruptible as he continued to run in circles, grabbing Misty's arm in the process. This rapid movement caused both the girl and Pikachu to grow dizzy, the latter of the two collapsing. </p><p>Jack crouched down and poked the Pokémons side. Pikachu quickly snapped out of it, looking up to see the man staring down at him.</p><p>"You alright?" He asked.</p><p>"Pikachu!" The Pokémon nodded.</p><p>A small silence came over them, before another question came to Jack's mind.</p><p>"Question. Are you a boy? Or girl?" He asked, genuinely curious, as he found it quite annoying to refer to Pikachu as "it". The Pokémon put one finger up, probably indicating it was the first one. "So a boy?"</p><p>The Pokémon nodded. </p><p>"Alright, found it annoying thinking of you as an it." The man explained. Pikachu nodded, turning to see Ash and Misty yelling at each other. </p><p>This had already become a very common sight after only a few hours of being on the road. Jack assumed they were going to be like this the entire adventure, which didn't bother him too much, it was quite humorous after all. "What are you two yelling about?"</p><p>"He's putting that disgusting bug in my face!" Misty screamed as she covered her eyes so she couldn't see the Caterpie in Ash's hands."Do you like bugs too!?"</p><p>"I'm not particular." The man replied. He looked towards the bug Pokémon and shrugged. "Bugs never bothered me."</p><p>"Ughh, of course." She grumbled. Caterpie slowly crawled down from Ash's hand and over to Jack, looking up at him with curious eyes. It warbled in greeting, to which the man nodded.</p><p>"Names Jack." He replied. The Pokémon nodded before crawling up his leg, resting when it reached his shoulder.</p><p>"Caterpie seems to like you Jack." Ash smiled. The man only extended a hand, turning his fingers into a thumbs up. The boy laughed at his action.</p><p>Caterpie warbled again, rubbing his head against Jack's cheek. The man was surprised by this action, even though he didn't show it. He didn't expect it to like him that much, if anything he thought it would be afraid.</p><p>"Alright, that's enough." Jack stated, gently grabbing the Pokémon off his shoulder and placing it on the ground. Caterpie looked towards Misty, quickly rushing towards her and nuzzling into her leg. A look of pure horror came onto her face right before she screamed. The yell was so loud the man almost felt the damn ground shake.</p><p>
  <i>"She really hates bugs…"</i>
</p><p>"Get this disgusting thing away from me!" Misty screamed, ignoring the sad look in Caterpie's eyes from her rude comment. The Pokémon looked up at her with sad eyes. "Please…. don't come any closer to me!"</p><p>"Misty you're unbelievable! Pokémon have feelings too ya know!?" Ash yelled. The girl quickly huffed in response. Jack and Pikachu looked towards each other, shrugging. </p><p>"I know, you play with that disgusting bug while I play with Pikachu!" Misty smiled as she picked up the electric Pokémon. Pikachu quickly squealed in pleasure from being rubbed on his head. </p><p>The bug Pokémon warbled as it looked towards the girl with watering eyes. She quickly shivered in disgust.</p><p>"Ash! Put this disgusting thing in its Pokéball!" Misty screamed into the air.</p><p>"You're awful…" Ash sighed as he kneeled down next to Caterpie, extending a hand. "Come on Caterpie, Misty won't insult you anymore."</p><p>The Pokémon slowly nodded as he crawled up the boy's arm and onto his shoulder.</p><p>"Why's that?" The girl asked.</p><p>Ash huffed as he walked away.</p><p>"We'll go on without her." He stated. Jack simply walked behind him, not caring either way. Pikachu jumped out of Misty's arms as he followed the pair. She watched them walk away, all with a deep scowl on her face.</p><p>"Oh yeah? I'll show you…" She quietly grumbled.</p><p>A few minutes after they left her, the two and the Pokémon were walking down the road. The man looked around to see it was still peaceful, and the air wasn't stiff or dreadful… like he was so used to. Pikachu pulled on his leg, catching his attention.</p><p>"Hmm? What is it?" Jack asked. The Pokémon pointed towards the way they came from. He squinted and could see a certain redhead following a few hundred meters behind them. Ash noticed this behavior and followed their eyes. The moment he set eyes on Misty, she quickly scrambled to a tree, hiding behind it.</p><p>"Why are you following us!?" The boy asked. The girl poked out from behind the tree.</p><p>"M… My Bike! ...You still owe me for my bike!" Jack was surprised, he had completely forgotten about that. He wasn't usually one to forget… so this was odd. </p><p>"I'll get you one when we get to the next town, sound fair?" Jack asked. She stared at him for a moment, before nodding.</p><p>"And you better not forget this time!" Misty yelled. The man nodded, continuing to walk behind Ash. </p><p>(POV SWAP)</p><p>They kept walking till nightfall, that was when the two Pokémon trainers decided it would be a wise decision to rest. Jack didn't really get it… but he assumed resting at night was something normal. The trainers had chosen a small clearing in the forest, where a small tree stump was in the middle. The two kids were sleeping on the opposite sides of the stump, both with pouts on their faces.</p><p>The man kept watch, keeping his blades on his lap as he sat next to a tree, resting his back on it. He watched as the two Pokémon looked up to the moon in awe, causing him to look towards the giant orb in the sky as well. He admitted, it was definitely a sight… although it had no value to him. Suddenly he heard the Pokémon yelling, he turned to see them… laughing. Pikachu wore a bright smile on his face, while Caterpie was walking around the electric Pokémon in circles, jumping in joy.</p><p>
  <i>"Maybe this won't be a bad time after all…"</i>
</p><p>Jack watched them play with amusement, as he wondered what that felt like… to have a smile on your face for as long as these people do. He knew people smiled a lot back in his… place of origin, but he never knew why. What was there to be happy about? They were in the middle of nowhere and lost… why would they be cheering and smiling right now?</p><p>"Pika pika!!" The Pokémon said, hopping over to the man at the base of the tree.</p><p>"Hmm?" </p><p>Pikachu tried his best to ask why he wasn't sleeping, with both sounds and hand gestures. It didn't take Jack long to understand.</p><p>"I don't sleep often… how many hours do people around here sleep for?" He asked. The Pokémon counted all the way up to eight on his fingers. The man's eyes visibly widened. Eight hours? He had never heard of anyone sleeping that long…. it was absurd! "In...that case...were gonna be here for awhile."</p><p>Pikachu nodded.</p><p>Jack quickly went through his pockets, finding a small stone he had found while he was at the Ketchum's for a week. It was near the small river next to Oak’s lab. He managed to snatch it when no one was looking. Lucky find, it's one of the best types of stones for sharpening blades after all. He unsheathed his machete, grazing the stone over the right side of the blade edge. The sound of a rock grinding against sharp metal was ingrained into his mind, something he had been doing for as long as he could remember. He looked up to see Pikachu tilt his head in confusion. </p><p>"When I acquired the blade it was somewhat sharp… but not as sharp as I would like it, so I'm sharpening it." Jack explained. The Pokémon nodded in understanding, beginning to watch him sharpen the machete in fascination. "By the way, thanks for helping me not get my throat torn out."</p><p>"Pikachu!" He smiled, nodding. </p><p>They continued in silence, eventually even Caterpie joined to watch him sharpen his blade. He didn't know what was so interesting about watching it… but he wasn't going to shoo them away. After a few more minutes of grazing both sides of the blade, he sheathed it. The man slowly stood up, gesturing for the Pokémon to move. They complied, moving out of the way as he walked further into the clearing.</p><p>
  <i>"Time to train..."</i>
</p><p>He raised his fists and spread his legs, his fighting posture was quite similar to most stances used in Mixed Martial arts, however it looked a bit more… crude. With a small grunt, he unleashed a small flurry of punches in front of him. The man continued this for around 7 minutes… all the while Pikachu and Caterpie watched in awe. They had never seen people fight before, just other Pokémon.</p><p> The electric Pokémon had heard about Jack saving the center in Viridian City, although he didn't actually see it, sides the explosion. He heard Jack had held off two Pokémon by himself… was that really true? This guy is stronger than he looks if that's the case.</p><p>He continued for minutes… which slowly progressed to hours. Jack was so caught up in his training, that he hadn't noticed the two Pokémon passed out on the stump. He didn't notice the sun slowly coming up from the horizon of the forest. He didn't notice the sky slowly turning from a neon amber to its normal blue, he kept training, wishing to push his limits. He wouldn't have time to feel something however, as he heard a blood curdling scream.</p><p>"Wh.. what! What happened!?" Ash yelled as he jumped to his feet, a sleeping bag still covering his body. </p><p>Jack quietly sighed as he lowered his fists, looking towards the trainers with a bored expression.</p><p>"Why's this *thing* sleeping near me!?" Misty yelled, shaking in disgust.</p><p>"Caterpie just wants to be your friend!" The boy smiled. She replied with a shiver.</p><p>"If this thing wants to be friends with me then it can stay away!" The girl yelled. She bent over to look it in the eye. "You're a Pokémon, so if you are, then get into the Pokéball!"</p><p>Caterpie's eyes began to water as it rushed past Ash and Pikachu, tapping the Pokéball to force it inside. It opened, and the Pokémon was warped inside the device. </p><p>"You're such a jerk! Caterpie has emotions too!" Ash yelled. He quickly huffed as he unzipped the sleeping bag on his body and dropped it on the ground, picking up his hat. Putting it on his head, his eyes widened as he saw a Pokémon fly over his head and land into the field. "What's that?" </p><p>The boy pulled out his Pokédex. </p><p>":Pidgeotto, the evolved form of pidgey. This Pokémon is equipped with sharp claws and a razor-like beak. Unlike the Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be dangerous:" The Ai explained.</p><p>"Alright, Caterpie, let's go!" Ash was about to throw the Pokéball, before Jack grabbed his hand. </p><p>"Shouldn't you use Pikachu? Don't birds eat worms?" He asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion. "Unless you want this battle to turn into a dinner."</p><p>"Oh, yeah! Forgot about that!" Ash nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Pikachu! Let's go!"</p><p>"Pika Pika!!" The Pokémon nodded in agreement. He hopped towards the Bird Pokémon, volts coursing through its body.</p><p>"Thunder Shock attack!!" The boy ordered.</p><p>"Pika… CHUUUU!" Pikachu screamed as he shot a bolt of lightning at the Pidgeotto. The volts poured into its body, the bird Pokémon screaming in the process. The moment the lightning stopped, the Pidgeotto collapsed on the ground, its eyes swirling.</p><p>Ash pulled the front of his hat to the back of his head, throwing a Pokéball. The device hit the Pidgeotto on the back, warping it into the ball. It shaked for a few moments, before a similar ping came from it.</p><p>"Y...Yess! We got Pidgeotto!!!" The boy cheered. Pikachu put his thumbs up, smiling.</p><p>"Pikachu!" He squealed. </p><p>Ash walked over and picked up the Pokéball, a look of pride on his face. He smirked, strolling towards Misty with a smug look in his eyes.</p><p>"I am the greatest." The boy proclaimed. </p><p>"You only got lucky cause Jack pointed out your mistake." She pointed over her shoulder to the man, who simply shrugged in response. "He has a brain, unlike you."</p><p>"Ohohohoho!!!" A female voice laughed.</p><p>"So… we meet again." A familiar male voice rang out.</p><p>
  <i>"Didn't we just get rid of these ass clowns yesterday?"</i>
</p><p>"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie started. </p><p>"Make it double!"  James continued.</p><p>"To protect the world from devastation!"</p><p>"To unite all peoples within our nation!"</p><p>"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"</p><p>"To extend our reach to the stars above!"</p><p>"Jessie!" She exclaimed.</p><p>"James!" James followed her lead.</p><p>"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"</p><p>"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"</p><p>Meowth hopped in between them.</p><p>"MEOWTH, that's right!" The cat Pokémon exclaimed.</p><p>"What are you guys doing here?" Jack asked, his fingers getting twitchy as they slowly got closer to his machete handle. </p><p>"We are here for you." Jessie explained, the two villains pointing towards the man. </p><p>"What do you want Jack for!?" Ash asked. </p><p>"That boy fought off two Pokémon by himself… why wouldn't we take him?" James asked. </p><p>"Well lay off! He isn't coming with you!" Misty yelled. </p><p>"Got that right." Jack smirked, unsheathing his machete. "I ain't going nowhere."</p><p>"Uh… where'd he get the samurai sword?" Meowth asked, his sweat dropping as the man slowly walked towards them, a dangerous smile on his face.</p><p>"Correction, a machete. Much more cheap and effective than a Katana… plus much more… messy." He chuckled.</p><p>"Uhhhhhh." The trio were beginning to panic, eyes widening and sweat forming.</p><p>"I've never killed someone around here before… hmmm…. maybe it's time to bring up the numbers?" Jack asked himself, grazing his fingers along the edge of the blade. "Unless you want to do this like we did before?"</p><p>"Rrrrr! This kid is cocky!" Jessie hissed.</p><p>
  <i>"Why are people so hard to intimidate around here? Whatever… I'll knock them out and be done with it."</i>
</p><p>He quickly sheathed his blade, an annoyed look on his face.</p><p>"Misty, Ash. I'll deal with this… give me a moment." The man explained. The pair nodded. He sighed, watching as the villains threw two Pokéballs, their Pokémon quickly warping out of them. </p><p>"So Koffing, how's the head feeling?" Jack chuckled, noticing the bandages on the Pokémon’s noggin. It had an expression of rage on its face as he teased it.</p><p>
  <i>"So these things have pride as well… another weakness."</i>
</p><p>"Ekans! Get the boy!" Jessie yelled.</p><p>"Koffing! Attack!" James ordered. </p><p>
  <i>"There's not much I can do to dodge their attacks in this field… so I'll have to just go on the offensive. Either that or lure them into the forest."</i>
</p><p>The two Pokémon charged him, both with expressions that told him that he wasn't gonna get the chance to retreat.</p><p>
  <i>"Offensive it is."</i>
</p><p>He spinned to the right, avoiding the floating ball. This spinning motion helped to build his momentum, making the kick to the snake's skull all the more powerful. The impact of his foot sent the Pokémon flying, landing at least 10 feet away in the field, almost reaching the trees. Koffing tried to slam into him a second time, but missed as the man ducked underneath the Pokémon. </p><p>Jack smirked as he kneed Koffing in the back of its floating body. He heard it grunt in pain, but nothing special.</p><p>
  <i>"You might be tough... but you still have your weak point… don't you?"</i>
</p><p>The man's smile suddenly got wider. He jumped onto the Pokémon, his eyes wide in amusement and rage, although unclear how much of each. He raised a fist… slamming it onto the bandages. Koffing yelled in pain… music to Jack's ears.</p><p>"Might wanna call this one back right now! Unless…" He started, pulling out his wakizashi from its sheath and dug the tip into the bandages. "You want your beloved Pokémon to be my first victim."</p><p>"F… Fine! Koffing! Return!" James yelled, warping Koffing back into the Pokéball. The man landed on his feet, sheathing the blade. He turned towards the villains, opening his arms in a challenging manner. </p><p>"Anything else you got for me?" Jack asked. He stopped his teasing when he heard the ground rumbling underneath him and jumped, avoiding Ekans flying out of the dirt with its mouth wide open. The Pokémon couldn't dodge in time before the man landed on its midsection. They fell to the ground, the snake yelling in pain from the impact. "And so the snake falls…"</p><p>The man grabbed it by the neck, looking into its eyes.</p><p>"Be lucky I am not using my blades… otherwise you'd be dead faster than if a gun barrel was pressing into your head, and they pulled the trigger." He huffed, kicking Ekans towards the trio. Jessie growled as she warped the snake Pokémon into its Pokéball. "Are you done?"</p><p>"Meowth will handle this one!" The Cat Pokémon smirked, raising his paw. Sharp claws extended from his fingers, a small sheen gleaming from them. Jack was anything but intimidated however, a small smirk on his face.</p><p>"So the cat takes a dive into the deep end… even though he should fear water by instinct… guess this is one dumbass cat." The man chuckled, gesturing to charge him.</p><p>"You think you're clever, huh? I'll scratch that smug look right off your face!" The Pokémon stated. "Then we'll see who's stupid!"</p><p>"Okay, try me…" He huffed. Meowth rushed towards him, claws ready to slice through him… at least that's what the Pokémon thought. He jumped into the air, nails aimed at Jack's face. Just as the Pokémon’s claws were able to touch his body, the man blocked it with his palm. </p><p>"What the!?" Meowth asked, watching as the man didn't even flinch as the claws sank into his hand. </p><p>"Is this all? Hmm." Jack scowled, a dissatisfied sigh leaving his throat. He raised a fist, and sent a quick jab into the Pokémons face. The impact didn't look powerful, but it felt powerful on Meowth's end. The blow sent him off the man and flying into the duo's arms. "I believe that's a wrap."</p><p>"I think it's time Team Rocket blasted off!" Jessie hissed, turning the other way and running down the road. </p><p>"We'll be back!" James cursed.</p><p>"Yeah and we'll be waiting to beat you! Bleh!" Misty stuck her tongue out at Team Rocket.</p><p>"Jack?" Ash asked.</p><p>"Hmm?" </p><p>"What you said earlier… about the killing?" He raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"A simple threat… I knew they wouldn't actually risk it if I sounded serious… I don't kill people." Jack spoke, knowing that was probably the biggest lie he's ever said in his entire life.</p><p>"Oh… Alright then! So you just knock them out!" He laughed, scratching the back of his head. The man nodded.</p><p>"Yeah, just knock them out." He replied. He looked towards the road ahead. "Now then, let's go."</p><p>Ash nodded.</p><p>"Right! Let's get going!" He smirked, running down the road.</p><p>"Ash! Wait up!" Misty yelled, rushing after him.</p><p>
  <i>"This is sure to get interesting…"</i>
</p><p>Jack huffed, lightly jogging behind the group.</p><p> </p><p>END OF CHAPTER</p><p>HOPE YA GUYS ENJOY IT, ME AND MY CO WRITER ARE HAVING A LOT OF FUN WITH THIS!! HOPE YA GUYS ARE READY FOR AN ADVENTURE...CAUSE WERE IN FOR THE LONG HAUL!! HAHA. TILL NEXT TIME.</p>
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